In Japan, Osamu Tezuka needs no introduction. That's like asking someone in America who Walt Disney is. But since most of us aren't in Japan, Tezuka is likely your favorite mangaka's favorite mangaka's favorite mangaka. The influence he had on the world of anime and manga is unmatched, ranging from his earlier, more child-oriented and Disney-influenced manga such as the iconic Astro Boy in the 50s to the more mature series like Dororo that he created up until his death in 1989, even dabbling in explicitly adult anime at one point. There's a reason people call him the God of Manga, but as is the case with many gods, people will still find a way to make a quick buck off his name.
Tezuka started Black Jack in 1973, a manga that follows an eccentric doctor of the same name who carries out extraordinary procedures and charges patients exorbitant amounts of money for his trouble. Tezuka, a qualified doctor himself, partially based the manga on his own experiences, and was one of his most beloved works up until its ending in 1983. Since then its had a number of OVAs, anime series and movies, and even a few live-actions. But publisher Akita Shoten has announced a controversial new project: a new Black Jack manga created using AI.
A partnership between Akita Shoten, professor Satoshi Kurihara of Keio University and Tezuka Productions, the studio he founded in 1968 that's now directed by his son Makoto, the new manga is supposedly being created in part by humans but written by ChatGPT. Kurihara previously worked on a manga known as Paidon, created 3 years ago as an attempt to get AI to replicate Tezuka's style, but Black Jack is one of his most famous works, and it'll be difficult to tell whether AI can capture the nuance and humanity required to tell a good story. Let's hope the art is being handled by humans at least.
It's not clear yet whether the AI-made Black Jack is a oneshot or an entirely new series, but it'll appear this fall in Weekly Shonen Champion, the same shonen magazine it originally appeared in during Tezuka's lifetime. What do you guys make of this? Is it an ambitious experiment or are they defiling a legendary creator's life's work? Leave your thoughts below!
